19我们在帖前五章十二至二十四节看见,圣别的生活与神的工作合作。十二至二十二节给我们看见信徒的合作,活出属灵、圣别的生活。二十三至二十四节说到神的工作,圣别并保守信徒。神渴望全然圣别我们,并保守我们的灵、与魂、与身子得以完全。然而,我们必须与祂合作。合作的路就是常常喜乐,不住的祷告,凡事谢恩,不销灭那灵,在召会聚会中不藐视申言者的话。我们若这样的合作,我们的灵就会蒙保守,不至死沉;我们的魂会蒙保守,使心思、意志、情感不受污染;我们的身体也会蒙保守,不受这世代的污染。这样,我们就能实际地过为着召会生活的圣别生活。保罗写帖撒罗尼迦前书这卷给初信者的书,目的是要他们过这种为着召会生活的圣化且圣别的生活(帖撒罗尼迦前书生命读经,二五四至二五六页)。
19In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 we see the cooperation of the holy life with the divine operation. In verses 12 through 22 we have the believers’ cooperation in living a spiritual and separated life. In verses 23 and 24 we have God’s operation in sanctifying and preserving the believers. God desires to sanctify us wholly and to preserve our spirit, soul, and body complete. However, we need to cooperate with Him. The way to cooperate is to rejoice, pray unceasingly, give thanks to Him in everything, not quench the Spirit, and not despise prophesying in the church meetings. If we cooperate in this way, our spirit will be preserved from deadness, our soul will be preserved from pollution in mind, will, and emotion, and our body will be preserved from the defilement of this age. Then in a practical way we will have a holy life for the church life. Paul’s aim in writing 1 Thessalonians, a book for new believers, was that they would live such a sanctified and holy life for the church life. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, pp. 212-214)